Thursday, February 26, 2009
Another Week Off
Yup, I'm taking a week off of the gym this week. Wrists are starting to feel the effects of all the abuse I've put on them with bench presses and shoulder presses and so on. Elbows are holding up OK. Feeling the pain with the running though. It's been at least a solid month since I got on the treadmill to run so I've been using the elyptical machine. Too afraid of more shin splints. Not even stretching helps prevent them any more. The shoes I got a while back were helping for a while, but even that has seemed to fade out a bit. As I have stated a few times before, I honestly think that my days of actual running are over. I guess I could be OK with that, or at least be able to do it in a pinch when I have to. I'm thinking that the week-long break will be enough to trick my body into thinking that rest is the normal routine, then go back at it and make some decent progress. For the most part, I only have March to make some decent gains size-wise, then it's cut, cut, cut. In the short term (being Monday) I will dread getting back on the elyptical and finding out what damage this break will have done. My long term dread will be the changing of the diet - becoming more carb conscious and eating light for the most part. I probably won't cut for too long, though. Maybe a month or two. I guess we shall see.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bench Presses Under 200 - June 2008-February 2009
I didn't think I'd ever see the day. Because of the President's Day holiday, my workout week didn't start until Tuesday night. Tuesday night was par for the course - Arms. Did the usual routine when it comes to arms with the exception of a small twist - rather than do hammer curls for my biceps, I have decided to do close-grip pull-ups with palms facing inward. 3 sets of 10 does the trick. With everything else to do with arms, I haven't made any real significant progress in some time. I'm pleased because with every arm workout, the weight I do gets a little easier and my biceps are getting vascular. I'm not pleased because everything else but my arms is making progress. I suppose I should be satisfied with the overall progress I have made in these past months. I think the staple of my dissatisfaction comes mainly from knowing that in a couple of months, I will be at my 1 year marker. This quite honestly is the longest I have been at any sort of self-initiated workout routine. Had a few stumbles here and there, some bigger than others, but overall, I'm proud that I have stuck to it and not run out of steam.
The thing I wanted to get to is one of my few accomplishments that I just had last night. Last night was chest night and I managed to keep my bench press above 200 pounds for all three sets. It was difficult, especially towards the end, but I did it. I see the increase in ability to lift the weight, but I'm, not seeing any real change in size. Then of course, I'd be the last person to notice it as someone else would be more readily able to notice a difference. I can sense when I'm lifting that I probably won't look to add weight to my highest number on bench press for at least another month, when my highest number becomes the same number for all three sets. I'm also sensing the need to mix up some of the exercises, if not replace them altogether. Keeping in mind that my working out is being done at the VA gym, resources are kind of limited such as dumbbells only going up to 50 pounds. I guess we'll see what I can come up with...
The thing I wanted to get to is one of my few accomplishments that I just had last night. Last night was chest night and I managed to keep my bench press above 200 pounds for all three sets. It was difficult, especially towards the end, but I did it. I see the increase in ability to lift the weight, but I'm, not seeing any real change in size. Then of course, I'd be the last person to notice it as someone else would be more readily able to notice a difference. I can sense when I'm lifting that I probably won't look to add weight to my highest number on bench press for at least another month, when my highest number becomes the same number for all three sets. I'm also sensing the need to mix up some of the exercises, if not replace them altogether. Keeping in mind that my working out is being done at the VA gym, resources are kind of limited such as dumbbells only going up to 50 pounds. I guess we'll see what I can come up with...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Doing Something Right
Well, it's about week 3 of the 'new' suppliments and I have to say, I feel alright. I have vowed to kind of ignore what one of my buddies is telling me about limiting my cardio to 10 minutes and going back to doing at least 20 minutes-ish. I will say, if the mirror doesn't tell you what you want to hear, then other people will. I was at Virginia Tech this weekend and at one point during my visit, my friend, who is a professor there and I got away to go do some errands and go to the bar for a quick beer. I happened to be wearing the VT Wrestling t-shirt that I had bought from the bookstore earlier that day. After my first drink and discovering that this particular bar didn't have a non-alcoholic beer for my friend (he doesn't drink), we picked up to leave. I hadn't yet put my jacket back on to walk outside when one of the bar's patrons stops me and says "Tech wrestling, huh? You guys did awesome this year". I knew that kid had only walked into the bar about 5 minutes before we were thinking of leaving (there were only 4 other patrons in the bar when he got there, to include my friend and I), so I know he wasn't wasted yet. It was then official - I had been mistaken for one of the college's wrestlers. I won't drone on about it for too long, but that was awesome. I didn't read too much into it, but I did take it as an indicator that I have been doing something right in the gym all this time.
That's not to say that I am pleased with where I'm at right now. Other people's standards usually don't meet mine, so I am looking to be a few cuts above where I am now. I have decided that in May I am going into my cutting phase whether I am the size I want to be or not. That means mucho cardio, circuit training and lots of diet changes. I'm thinking that with the massive reduction in cardio, the relaxed diet and the concentration on heavy lifting, my body won't know what hit it. By the time it really warms up, I should be ready to rock.
That's not to say that I am pleased with where I'm at right now. Other people's standards usually don't meet mine, so I am looking to be a few cuts above where I am now. I have decided that in May I am going into my cutting phase whether I am the size I want to be or not. That means mucho cardio, circuit training and lots of diet changes. I'm thinking that with the massive reduction in cardio, the relaxed diet and the concentration on heavy lifting, my body won't know what hit it. By the time it really warms up, I should be ready to rock.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Mythbusters
Some of what I have to say today is a reiteration of some things I said in my last tutorial pertaining to long-distance precision shooting/sniping that I feel need to be elaborated on just a bit more. It indeed has been a long time (almost 2 decades) since my 5 weeks in USASS and I have forgotten most of what I learned there and for whatever reason, I am trying to recall that knowledge by posting about what I do know here. Unlike most people who enter USASS with misconceptions and delusions, mine didn't start until a while after I attended the school. Maybe it was after being out and performing well on a few exercises. I'd just like to take the time to dispel a few myths as they come to me and hopfully, anyone who happens to read this who is considering taking on this trade can go into it with no delusions and no fabrications.
Like I said in my previous column, when the subject of sniping comes up, people get the idea that it is some sort of glamorous job where there's a sniper on a rooftop, in a bell tower or in the jungle all alone picking people off with surgical precision. Every shot is placed in the head or the heart and once the shot is taken, the sniper is off on his merry way. It isn't that simple, it never has been. There is no glory in pulling a trigger on another human being which makes sniping just a job. Because sniping requires performance using a higher skill set and speciaized equipment than that of your average field soldier, it may be forgiveable to consider it a trade. The criteria one has to meet even to be considered for the training is significantly higher than that of what you would expect of your garden variety grunt. It is a trade requiring restraint, patience, discipline and talent. It should also be said that you must have the moral flexibility required to take the life of another. Because these traits are so heavily relied upon by the sniper team, the screening process before entry into the school is stringent.
As a member of a sniper team, you are typically treated no better or differently than the rest of your squad, platoon or company element. Do not expect better accommodations than what your peers are receiving in the field. It is safe to say that you are just another one of the element until you are deployed as a member of a sniper team. You will carry the same service rifle, wear the same pro mask, kevlar helmet and flack jacket and you will likely pull the same duties and tasks as your peers...... Until it's time to go. The only time you will be treated any differently by your unit leadership is when there is some recurrent training unique to sniping or when you're already in the field and the mission calls for a sniper team to be deployed. When going to the field for whatever reason, not only will you be required to carry what everyone else carries, you will also be expected to carry your additional equipment as well because while soldiers in your unit may ask to see your rifle, they aren't about to carry it for you. Most of the time, your deployment box containing your rifle, riflescope, spotting scope, cleaning kit and other hardware will be kept at the company or battalion level command post (CP) while you are off performing other duties.
When it finally does come time to go, you will extract what you need from the deployment box and depending on the mission, ghillie/camo up prior to movement or somewhere between the company AO and the FFP. Before you take off, make sure you have 100% accountability of all mission essential items. Once you are satisfied from your self-check, have your team mate check you also. Check him and have him check himself as well. A route to your tenative FFP will be planned between the shooter and spotter based on a military map and any intelligence from the S2 shop. Sometimes you may only have to dismount a vehicle and set up with your spotter on the side of the road, sometimes you will have to negotiate miles of terrain. My point is that a mission takes a lot of cautious planning and preparation and can be daunting to carry out. This will also not always be done when it is 75 degrees and sunny with no wind, either. It could be 45 degrees in the midst of a torrential downpour which will suck something awful. The longer you travel, the more your equipment will chafe and the heavier it will feel. Carrying off-balancing items such as a radio inside a ruck sack can be a real inconvenience in rough and uneven terrain such as rock walls or swampland. You will be cold, tired, chafed raw, likely very sore and mentally stressed from having to exercise noise, light and movement discipline and stopping repeatedly to look and listen without being able to adjust your gear. All this and you haven't even arrived at your FFP. Are you having fun yet?
You've finally arrived at your tentative FFP. Taking into consideration the wear the route you chose took on you, you must now select your FFP. Chances are you picked a couple of alternate FFPs which provide effective fields of fire that might work for you on the map prior to moving out. Depending on how close together they were you will compare them, select the best one and settle in. Fortification and concealment materials may or may not be handy around the area you have selected so you might have to be resourceful with what is around you. If the situation warrants, you will either utilize your e-tool (folding shovel) and dig a shallow firing position for you and your team mate or you will find another way to create a workable firing position. Sometimes it ends up being as easy as being on a rooftop where the guesswork is taken out of the equation, and sometimes it's sandbags, sandbags, and more sandbags along with lots of vegetation to conceal them. Based on these examples, one can see how the labor intensive nature of setting up an FFP can span the entire spectrum from being easy as a snap to sweating it up with an e-tool.
Once the FFP has been established, it is time to settle in. Contrary to popular belief, targets don't typically present themselves in the first 15 minutes. Many people see this in movies and come to believe that this is the standard. The most expedient real-life sniping scenario would be while mounted in a vehicle when a personnel target has been identified for immediate termination. The vehicle patrol will halt and you will likely dismount the vehicle with your spotter, set up hastily and once the formula for target acquisition has been figured (dialing in/dope), the shot is taken and depending on orders, you will likely pick up, pack up and split. Count on everything else to take from hours to days. You and your team mate will sleep in shifts. If distance from your target and concealment are adequate, you may be able to quite simply move to your pack and bring your food back to your firing position to eat while your team mate maintains surveillance on the target area. You will do the same for him. When it comes time to expel the food you have eaten, it can be done using one of two methods, neither of which is pleasant. There are no outhouses and your spotter will not shoot for you, so the absence of a shooter, even for a minute, can cost you the mission. Starting to feel glorious?
There's a chance and it's happened to me before where while out on a creep, the weather changes, particularly in a hot climate. After being rained on for hours, all your body funk, all the dirt from the equipment, all the bacteria that has soaked down to your skin is now starting to dry. By the time everything gets completely dry, you're chafed raw and you smell bad (keeping in mind you also have to deal with the odor of your spotter) but you still need to be able to hold it together well enough to place at least one precise shot on a target. Having to deal with foul odors and irritated body parts, muscle soreness, fatigue and sleep deprivation makes it that much more difficult to be on your 'A' game.
You've already taken time to complete a range card, built a firing position (while not nearly as elaborate as a standard firing position is still a pain) and settle in, now all there is to do is wait. Down time in a hide usually cannot be used the same way regular soldiers use their down time. You can't bust out a deck of playing cards and smoke cigars while you play a few hands. You can't write letters home and you can count out even the most simple of pleasures that regular soldiers are afforded to entertain themselves while in the field. Chatter amongst you and your spotter has to be kept to a minimum if you're able to have any at all as noise discipline is paramount. Keep in mind that members of a sniper team also serve as the scouting element for a unit so the only talking you will likely be doing is into a radio to your command element. Keeping quiet and still is where the discipline I referred to earlier really comes in. These factors being what they are makes minutes go by like hours and hours like days. Sometimes you get lucky and only have to sit on a rooftop overseeing a large target area where concealment is minimal so it really doesn't matter if you pick up an MRE or whatever you have to eat and start eating or sit with your spotter and talk the hours away so long as an eye is kept on your sector of fire and an ear is being kept to the radio for any change in your op order. Some positions can be outright cozy, especially if you're lucky enough to be positioned in or on top of a building. Those kinds of FFPs are becoming more common with the places today's warfare is being conducted.
Keeping realistic expectations about shot placement is important. There are several factors to take into consideration, none of which I will go into detail about here, about shot placement. Wind value (value = direction) and speed, temperature, angle, movement of target and range to target are some of the things that must be considered. In most movies you'll see, a sniper will hit exactly where the crosshairs land on the target and most of them will do so and not have made a single adjustment to their scope. This is not typically what happens when a shot is taken. it would be very rare that a target would initially present itself at point-of-impact/point-of-aim. I'll explain briefly that point-of-impact/point-of-aim is whatever distance the rifle is zeroed for. If your rifle is zeroed for 500 meters, then you will hit exactly what you're aiming for at 500 meters. Anything short or long of that will require adjustments. Sometimes you will have the time to make the adjustments on your scope, the rest of the time you will do what is called a holdover or holdoff which I will explain later. The closer the target, the more precise the shot placement can be. If your goal is to hit every 800 meter shot or longer dead center between the eyes, then you're in for some serious disappointment. Once you have compensated for range and so on, your best bet is not to risk a head shot and just aim for the center of the largest part of your target. Going for 'glorious' head shots brings with it the risk of missing and firing a shot that will allow for your position to be determined by enemy combatants. As a long-distance precision shooter, you need to be ready to take the safe shot and not run the risk of being detected by trying to take the glory shot and missing. Tool around on the range all you like, but stick to the safe shots where it matters. The bottom line is that a target is terminated, not missing half of their head.
These are only some of the things that I can come up with off the top of my head to consider before just blindly jumping in and wanting to be a sniper. If you're doing it for the glory of it all, you're better off just going to airborne or air assault school. If you're looking for bragging rights, go join a marksmanship team. I don't remember ever having been to an 800 meter range and if I've been, I don't remember where it is. Maybe if you can find one, you can go and take a friend, rent a rifle and make an 800 meter shot. Better yet, find a friend that hunts and ask to go out with them. Make it an evening hunt. Learn what it's like to sit in one place for hours and hours with no one to talk to and nothing to do but watch the sun go down. What do you hear? Where do you think the sounds coming from? What do you see? How far away do you think it is? Is it moving? How fast do you think it's moving? How long do you think it would take for a round to get to that target? As long as you focus on the things that matter, approach this trade withthe right attitude and without delusions, sniping can be a very challenging and strangely rewarding career.
Like I said in my previous column, when the subject of sniping comes up, people get the idea that it is some sort of glamorous job where there's a sniper on a rooftop, in a bell tower or in the jungle all alone picking people off with surgical precision. Every shot is placed in the head or the heart and once the shot is taken, the sniper is off on his merry way. It isn't that simple, it never has been. There is no glory in pulling a trigger on another human being which makes sniping just a job. Because sniping requires performance using a higher skill set and speciaized equipment than that of your average field soldier, it may be forgiveable to consider it a trade. The criteria one has to meet even to be considered for the training is significantly higher than that of what you would expect of your garden variety grunt. It is a trade requiring restraint, patience, discipline and talent. It should also be said that you must have the moral flexibility required to take the life of another. Because these traits are so heavily relied upon by the sniper team, the screening process before entry into the school is stringent.
As a member of a sniper team, you are typically treated no better or differently than the rest of your squad, platoon or company element. Do not expect better accommodations than what your peers are receiving in the field. It is safe to say that you are just another one of the element until you are deployed as a member of a sniper team. You will carry the same service rifle, wear the same pro mask, kevlar helmet and flack jacket and you will likely pull the same duties and tasks as your peers...... Until it's time to go. The only time you will be treated any differently by your unit leadership is when there is some recurrent training unique to sniping or when you're already in the field and the mission calls for a sniper team to be deployed. When going to the field for whatever reason, not only will you be required to carry what everyone else carries, you will also be expected to carry your additional equipment as well because while soldiers in your unit may ask to see your rifle, they aren't about to carry it for you. Most of the time, your deployment box containing your rifle, riflescope, spotting scope, cleaning kit and other hardware will be kept at the company or battalion level command post (CP) while you are off performing other duties.
When it finally does come time to go, you will extract what you need from the deployment box and depending on the mission, ghillie/camo up prior to movement or somewhere between the company AO and the FFP. Before you take off, make sure you have 100% accountability of all mission essential items. Once you are satisfied from your self-check, have your team mate check you also. Check him and have him check himself as well. A route to your tenative FFP will be planned between the shooter and spotter based on a military map and any intelligence from the S2 shop. Sometimes you may only have to dismount a vehicle and set up with your spotter on the side of the road, sometimes you will have to negotiate miles of terrain. My point is that a mission takes a lot of cautious planning and preparation and can be daunting to carry out. This will also not always be done when it is 75 degrees and sunny with no wind, either. It could be 45 degrees in the midst of a torrential downpour which will suck something awful. The longer you travel, the more your equipment will chafe and the heavier it will feel. Carrying off-balancing items such as a radio inside a ruck sack can be a real inconvenience in rough and uneven terrain such as rock walls or swampland. You will be cold, tired, chafed raw, likely very sore and mentally stressed from having to exercise noise, light and movement discipline and stopping repeatedly to look and listen without being able to adjust your gear. All this and you haven't even arrived at your FFP. Are you having fun yet?
You've finally arrived at your tentative FFP. Taking into consideration the wear the route you chose took on you, you must now select your FFP. Chances are you picked a couple of alternate FFPs which provide effective fields of fire that might work for you on the map prior to moving out. Depending on how close together they were you will compare them, select the best one and settle in. Fortification and concealment materials may or may not be handy around the area you have selected so you might have to be resourceful with what is around you. If the situation warrants, you will either utilize your e-tool (folding shovel) and dig a shallow firing position for you and your team mate or you will find another way to create a workable firing position. Sometimes it ends up being as easy as being on a rooftop where the guesswork is taken out of the equation, and sometimes it's sandbags, sandbags, and more sandbags along with lots of vegetation to conceal them. Based on these examples, one can see how the labor intensive nature of setting up an FFP can span the entire spectrum from being easy as a snap to sweating it up with an e-tool.
Once the FFP has been established, it is time to settle in. Contrary to popular belief, targets don't typically present themselves in the first 15 minutes. Many people see this in movies and come to believe that this is the standard. The most expedient real-life sniping scenario would be while mounted in a vehicle when a personnel target has been identified for immediate termination. The vehicle patrol will halt and you will likely dismount the vehicle with your spotter, set up hastily and once the formula for target acquisition has been figured (dialing in/dope), the shot is taken and depending on orders, you will likely pick up, pack up and split. Count on everything else to take from hours to days. You and your team mate will sleep in shifts. If distance from your target and concealment are adequate, you may be able to quite simply move to your pack and bring your food back to your firing position to eat while your team mate maintains surveillance on the target area. You will do the same for him. When it comes time to expel the food you have eaten, it can be done using one of two methods, neither of which is pleasant. There are no outhouses and your spotter will not shoot for you, so the absence of a shooter, even for a minute, can cost you the mission. Starting to feel glorious?
There's a chance and it's happened to me before where while out on a creep, the weather changes, particularly in a hot climate. After being rained on for hours, all your body funk, all the dirt from the equipment, all the bacteria that has soaked down to your skin is now starting to dry. By the time everything gets completely dry, you're chafed raw and you smell bad (keeping in mind you also have to deal with the odor of your spotter) but you still need to be able to hold it together well enough to place at least one precise shot on a target. Having to deal with foul odors and irritated body parts, muscle soreness, fatigue and sleep deprivation makes it that much more difficult to be on your 'A' game.
You've already taken time to complete a range card, built a firing position (while not nearly as elaborate as a standard firing position is still a pain) and settle in, now all there is to do is wait. Down time in a hide usually cannot be used the same way regular soldiers use their down time. You can't bust out a deck of playing cards and smoke cigars while you play a few hands. You can't write letters home and you can count out even the most simple of pleasures that regular soldiers are afforded to entertain themselves while in the field. Chatter amongst you and your spotter has to be kept to a minimum if you're able to have any at all as noise discipline is paramount. Keep in mind that members of a sniper team also serve as the scouting element for a unit so the only talking you will likely be doing is into a radio to your command element. Keeping quiet and still is where the discipline I referred to earlier really comes in. These factors being what they are makes minutes go by like hours and hours like days. Sometimes you get lucky and only have to sit on a rooftop overseeing a large target area where concealment is minimal so it really doesn't matter if you pick up an MRE or whatever you have to eat and start eating or sit with your spotter and talk the hours away so long as an eye is kept on your sector of fire and an ear is being kept to the radio for any change in your op order. Some positions can be outright cozy, especially if you're lucky enough to be positioned in or on top of a building. Those kinds of FFPs are becoming more common with the places today's warfare is being conducted.
Keeping realistic expectations about shot placement is important. There are several factors to take into consideration, none of which I will go into detail about here, about shot placement. Wind value (value = direction) and speed, temperature, angle, movement of target and range to target are some of the things that must be considered. In most movies you'll see, a sniper will hit exactly where the crosshairs land on the target and most of them will do so and not have made a single adjustment to their scope. This is not typically what happens when a shot is taken. it would be very rare that a target would initially present itself at point-of-impact/point-of-aim. I'll explain briefly that point-of-impact/point-of-aim is whatever distance the rifle is zeroed for. If your rifle is zeroed for 500 meters, then you will hit exactly what you're aiming for at 500 meters. Anything short or long of that will require adjustments. Sometimes you will have the time to make the adjustments on your scope, the rest of the time you will do what is called a holdover or holdoff which I will explain later. The closer the target, the more precise the shot placement can be. If your goal is to hit every 800 meter shot or longer dead center between the eyes, then you're in for some serious disappointment. Once you have compensated for range and so on, your best bet is not to risk a head shot and just aim for the center of the largest part of your target. Going for 'glorious' head shots brings with it the risk of missing and firing a shot that will allow for your position to be determined by enemy combatants. As a long-distance precision shooter, you need to be ready to take the safe shot and not run the risk of being detected by trying to take the glory shot and missing. Tool around on the range all you like, but stick to the safe shots where it matters. The bottom line is that a target is terminated, not missing half of their head.
These are only some of the things that I can come up with off the top of my head to consider before just blindly jumping in and wanting to be a sniper. If you're doing it for the glory of it all, you're better off just going to airborne or air assault school. If you're looking for bragging rights, go join a marksmanship team. I don't remember ever having been to an 800 meter range and if I've been, I don't remember where it is. Maybe if you can find one, you can go and take a friend, rent a rifle and make an 800 meter shot. Better yet, find a friend that hunts and ask to go out with them. Make it an evening hunt. Learn what it's like to sit in one place for hours and hours with no one to talk to and nothing to do but watch the sun go down. What do you hear? Where do you think the sounds coming from? What do you see? How far away do you think it is? Is it moving? How fast do you think it's moving? How long do you think it would take for a round to get to that target? As long as you focus on the things that matter, approach this trade withthe right attitude and without delusions, sniping can be a very challenging and strangely rewarding career.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Movement Techniques/Stalking
I don't mean the kind of stalking that can get you arrested. Let me preface this by saying that I have had several people approach me through various mediums and express an interest in learning some of the tactical aspects of long distance precision shooting, but they want to concentrate mainly on the shooting aspect. What most people fail to realize is that without knowing how to move from one point to the next, you may not even get a chance at a shot at your intended targets. When this subject gets brought up in conversation, I know that most people envision either one or two people already in a shooting position, waiting to take a shot at their target - all that's left to do is shoot and scoot. We won't concern ourselves with targets in this particular segment because without knowing how to make your way to and from an FFP (Final Firing Position), targets are irrelevant. There are several things to take into account when moving to an FFP or stalking/tracking your target. To name a few:
1. Climate/Weather Conditions
2. Terrain/Environment
3. Adverse Elements (enemy forces if military)
4. Adjusting for Changes in Intelligence (during movement and upon reaching the FFP)
Let's start with considering climate and weather conditions. Most people when watching these movies about snipers or containing snipers see most of them in a jungle or other combat environment, usually during the day and it's almost always in ideal weather conditions if there isn't an apropos abandoned building to use for cover, concealment and/or protection from the elements. No matter what the situation, there always just seems to be the ideal makings of a hide wherever they find themselves. It also seems to take no time in the movie for the sniper or sniper team to get to their FFP. This can lead a soldier who is considering becoming a sniper to believe that you will only be deployed under the most ideal temperatures and it's easy as a snap to get to your FFP which will always be well fortified from weather and enemy fire, especially if it's a S.W.A.T. type sniper or sniper team in an urban environment. None of these things will ever be a certainty. Before I go into weather, let me quickly dispell a myth. As a long distance precision shooter in a tactical environment, one can expect never to travel alone unless under exigent circumstances to the likes of which I have never seen or heard of. There will always be a spotter with you. Having a spotter is essential as the designated shooter has plenty to worry about and the equipment necessary for a full operation is too much for one person to transport by themselves. The spotter will also reduce the amount of error that can be made in target ranging, determining wind value and follow up after a shot is taken. One of the many other purposes the spotter serves is acting as point man (leading the shooting team to the FFP) as well as 50 percent of the security element during tactical movement, also known as "the creep".
Starting before the creep and lasting until egress from the FFP and extraction, weather must be considered. If this is a career choice you are considering, start by assuming that you will be deployed in less than ideal climates. You will get cold. You will also get hot. You will get wet and so will your equipment, making it heavier and far less comfortable. Mud and dirt will find its way through your clothing to the most tender and sensitive portions of your body. Wet clothes, mud, dirt and sweat will cause your clothing and equipment to chafe you something awful. In addition to weather causing these problems for you and depending on what region of the world you find yourself in, you will likely share your hide space with insects and other wildlife such as snakes and sometimes your team will be required to sleep there. There are no outhouses or field expedient bathrooms on a creep (you wouldn't be able to get up to go if there were) so void yourself before you move out or risk having to soil yourself during a mission. In a tactical environment, long distance precision shooting is a less-than-glamorous, dirty job with often long hours and difficult physical demands such as negotiating obstacles during long creeps and remaining still for hours at a time. If I haven't painted enough of a picture, let me know.
Once all logistics are in place, it's time to move out. After mechanized insertion into an area of operations (AO) if there is any to be had, there are going to be five primary methods of movement to your FFP. Before going into those movement techniques in depth, some things have to be taken into consideration. First of all, if deployed as part of a precision shooting team, it's a safe assumption that you're either training for, in close proximity to or in a hostile environment. For that reason, every movement must be calculated, well thought out and deliberate. Operate under the assumption that every portion of your route is likely under observation unless you're able to confirm otherwise. Not just your movements but the movements of things around you could be under observation. It is for this reason that the agitation of your environment be minimal such as brush, branches and the like so take great care during movement not to get caught on branches or brush as movement of vegetation can be seen from hundreds of meters away. Movement of a shooting team is measured in feet and inches in an arena where everything else is mils, degrees and meters (yards if you're in the Marines.) It should also be said that care should be taken to stop, look and listen often. The frequency at which this should be done is left to the discretion of the team but a good guideline to follow is stopping often enough to assess any unnatural sights and sounds but not so often that a timeline is broken and the mission becomes compromised. Taking the most direct route is also in most situations is typically discouraged. Creeping in a field environment can require travel over rough or uneven terrain or through dense brush and vegetation during movement to an FFP. If there is a road or defined route of travel anywhere along your route, chances are you won't be taking it. The most you will do is cross it which will only happen if your safe and timely arrival to your AO warrants it. Depending on the time and light of day, shadows or shaded areas can be used to increase the commission of undetected movement. Starting with the fastest method of travel, five movement techniques will be examined.
The most field expedient method of movement is the sniper walk. This method is typically used in order to cover the optimum amount of ground in the shortest span of time. While the sniper walk is the fastest means of movement, it is by no means fast. Keeping in mind the calculated and deliberate nature of every movement that should be made in the field, this movement technique is usually reserved for use in moderately high and dense vegetation and brush and some of that rough or uneven terrain I referred to earlier. If a team were to have to cross an open field, this would be the last movement technique to use as the sniper walk is the highest profile method of movement. When it has been determined by both members of the team that the sniper walk can be used, both team members should be on their feet standing with a moderate hunch in the back and slight bend at the waist. The shooter should keep their weapon close to the body and carried with the muzzle pointed towards the ground. Each step is taken one at a time, more so than the standard stride. Each step should be taken with the toes touching ground first and rolling the foot back to the heel until the entire foot is on the ground, distributing body weight slowly and steadily throughout each lowering of the foot. This is to minimize the possible snapping of twigs laying on the ground or the upturning of any leaves or rocks. The goal is to leave a minimal signature if any indicating your route. This can be difficult but it is not unattainable and the sniper walk will be your best bet as there is a minimum of dragging equipment or body parts leaving a minimal signature of travel, if any. There is no set pace or speed for the sniper walk. Let the environment be your guide - What kind of concealment is around you? How far do you need to go and how fast do you need to get there? Can the walk be used to get you closer you your AO at no sacrifice you your concealment? If the sniper walk isn't prudent at a given time but you must cover as much ground as you can in a short amount of time, then the hand-knee crawl might be a better option for you.
The hand-knee crawl is the second highest profile and second fastest means of movement available to the shooting team. It is used best when there is cover or concealment that is waist height or higher available such as large rocks, fallen trees or natural concealers such as shallow depressions. During the hand-knee crawl, there are three points of contact on the ground. the rifle is carried in the strong/firing arm while the weak/non-firing arm and both knees are used for mobility. The closest likeness to the hand knee crawl is someone who lost a contact lens and is on the ground looking for it. Great care must still be taken to ensure that nothing is dragged on the ground such as equipment or body parts of either team member to minimize or prevent any signature being left behind to be detected, possibly leading to your own detection.
The next movement technique is commonly taught to all soldiers upon initial training and is called the high crawl. Typically the profile of an individual performing the high crawl is roughly twelve to fourteen inches from the ground. Keep this in consideration when making the decision to move in this manner. This technique is significantly slower than the hand-knee crawl and is typically used for shorter distances, usually no more than 100 meters. Weapons are slung across the bends of the elbows on top of the forearms and movement is made with the pads of both elbows and the entire legs. Both feet are kept as flat on the ground as possible with the toes pointed outward. As one leg is pulled up until the knee is about at about waist level, the opposing elbow is brought forward. This movement is less fluid than the hand-knee crawl and the sniper walk and affords the user more frequent opportunities to stop, look and listen. It also leaves the soldier half way home to being in the prone firing position, more so than any other movement technique. The high crawl also affords the team the ability to look in the direction they are traveling. If the high crawl provides too high of a profile and time is not of the essence, the low crawl may be suitable for use.
The low crawl is significantly slower than the first three techniques I mentioned, but provides the lowest available profile during movement. This movement technique is also taught to all military personnel during initial training. The differences between the low crawl and high crawl is that the head is completely on the ground turned to one side and the weapon is carried by the forearm end of the sling with the weapon rested over the top of the weak arm running along the forearm. All limbs remain flat on the ground. Movement is conducted in the same fashion as the high crawl. This technique is best in an environment with little cover or concealment for a calculated distance - the shorter, the better as the low crawl is not a technique you want to be using for an extended period of time. The low crawl does not afford you to monitor your direction of travel so an azimuth should be determined before movement is conducted. If faced with the unavoidable prospect of moving through an exposed area, the four techniques I have already mentioned will not be suitable - there is one technique left that can be used.
The sniper low crawl is the slowest available method of movement for a tactical shooting team to utilize. This movement is predominantly used in open, exposed vegetated areas. Traveling a significant distance using this technique can take hours. It is also the most physically strenuous and high-risk movement technique available. Any time a team utilizes the sniper low crawl, they are wearing ghillie suits during movement. Like the low crawl, all body parts maintain the lowest possible profile to the ground. The head can either be turned to one side or face down toward the ground (which can wear on the neck muscles leaving you stiff or sore). The rifle is held by the forearm end of the sling in the non-firing hand, preferably with the bolt lever facing up. Both arms are outstretched over the head "in front" of you with palms facing down and both legs are kept straight with feet flat on the ground with toes pointed outward. Fingertips and toes are used for forward motion so as not to make any major movements. The knees can bend slightly while moving, but it is highly discouraged. Like the low crawl, distance and destination should be predetermined before utilizing this technique. It is also important that prior to the use of the sniper low crawl that vegetation from the area the team is operating in be used to enhance the ghillie suit's camouflaging capabilities and reduce the risk of being detected. If the ghillie suit is properly camouflaged and the sniper low crawl is performed correctly, the risk of detection is minimal even in a wide open area such as a clearing or a field. Naturally, using this technique during night time decreases the risk of being detected exponentially. As with the high and low crawl, it is the most difficult to conceal any signature of movement due to the amount of contact with the ground and the dragging motion which makes this technique particularly effective in areas with nothing more than grass long enough to fall over. Grass that is too short will remain compressed by your bodyweight leaving a trail behind you for a significant amount of time and grass that is long but still able to remain vertical will leave a clearly marked path indicating where you have been clear up to your heels so employment of the sniper low crawl should be very selective.
These are the five primary stalking and movement techniques available in a tactical environment. People in this kind of environment will certainly not be confined to these five techniques for movement. There will likely be plenty of times if you're a member of a team that you and your team member will be humping through the woods like a couple of nature hikers because the situation gives license to do so. By all means, take that liberty where it presents itself as any time not having to be spent getting to an AO can be used to set up a hide or compare a few potential hides. Time saved during movement to an FFP also affords the team the ability to communicate to the main element any changes in intelligence the team initially received prior to deployment such as troop strength, number of targets, etc. Discernment is the key to knowing which technique to use to get from one point to the next at any given time.
The best way to learn each of these movement techniques is obviously to practice them. When and if possible, practice with as much equipment you can get your hands on to avoid setting unrealistic expectations in regards to ease of movement, speed, etc. Wear a ruck, ghillie up, build a weaponeer (a simulated rifle) to train with and head on out. Don't cheat yourself and crawl around a soccer field at a high school, you'll be denying yourself the challenge of more mission-realistic terrain and will likely be escorted off the property by campus security anyway. Find a local wooded park or a game refuge, insert yourself deep enough so as not to be reported by hikers or harassed by wildlife marshals and practice there. Don't wait for rain to stop. Bundle up and head on out in the rain. This is the time to learn to make any modifications to your ghillie or adjustments with your equipment to minimize discomfort, even though most efforts I have found to be completely futile. With practice, you will learn many more things than just how to move effectively. If you're considering making 'military sniper' an official part of your resume, training using these techniques will let you know if this is something you really want to go through with and if it is, it will give you an advantage when it comes time to start school. Good luck and don't do anything stupid.
1. Climate/Weather Conditions
2. Terrain/Environment
3. Adverse Elements (enemy forces if military)
4. Adjusting for Changes in Intelligence (during movement and upon reaching the FFP)
Let's start with considering climate and weather conditions. Most people when watching these movies about snipers or containing snipers see most of them in a jungle or other combat environment, usually during the day and it's almost always in ideal weather conditions if there isn't an apropos abandoned building to use for cover, concealment and/or protection from the elements. No matter what the situation, there always just seems to be the ideal makings of a hide wherever they find themselves. It also seems to take no time in the movie for the sniper or sniper team to get to their FFP. This can lead a soldier who is considering becoming a sniper to believe that you will only be deployed under the most ideal temperatures and it's easy as a snap to get to your FFP which will always be well fortified from weather and enemy fire, especially if it's a S.W.A.T. type sniper or sniper team in an urban environment. None of these things will ever be a certainty. Before I go into weather, let me quickly dispell a myth. As a long distance precision shooter in a tactical environment, one can expect never to travel alone unless under exigent circumstances to the likes of which I have never seen or heard of. There will always be a spotter with you. Having a spotter is essential as the designated shooter has plenty to worry about and the equipment necessary for a full operation is too much for one person to transport by themselves. The spotter will also reduce the amount of error that can be made in target ranging, determining wind value and follow up after a shot is taken. One of the many other purposes the spotter serves is acting as point man (leading the shooting team to the FFP) as well as 50 percent of the security element during tactical movement, also known as "the creep".
Starting before the creep and lasting until egress from the FFP and extraction, weather must be considered. If this is a career choice you are considering, start by assuming that you will be deployed in less than ideal climates. You will get cold. You will also get hot. You will get wet and so will your equipment, making it heavier and far less comfortable. Mud and dirt will find its way through your clothing to the most tender and sensitive portions of your body. Wet clothes, mud, dirt and sweat will cause your clothing and equipment to chafe you something awful. In addition to weather causing these problems for you and depending on what region of the world you find yourself in, you will likely share your hide space with insects and other wildlife such as snakes and sometimes your team will be required to sleep there. There are no outhouses or field expedient bathrooms on a creep (you wouldn't be able to get up to go if there were) so void yourself before you move out or risk having to soil yourself during a mission. In a tactical environment, long distance precision shooting is a less-than-glamorous, dirty job with often long hours and difficult physical demands such as negotiating obstacles during long creeps and remaining still for hours at a time. If I haven't painted enough of a picture, let me know.
Once all logistics are in place, it's time to move out. After mechanized insertion into an area of operations (AO) if there is any to be had, there are going to be five primary methods of movement to your FFP. Before going into those movement techniques in depth, some things have to be taken into consideration. First of all, if deployed as part of a precision shooting team, it's a safe assumption that you're either training for, in close proximity to or in a hostile environment. For that reason, every movement must be calculated, well thought out and deliberate. Operate under the assumption that every portion of your route is likely under observation unless you're able to confirm otherwise. Not just your movements but the movements of things around you could be under observation. It is for this reason that the agitation of your environment be minimal such as brush, branches and the like so take great care during movement not to get caught on branches or brush as movement of vegetation can be seen from hundreds of meters away. Movement of a shooting team is measured in feet and inches in an arena where everything else is mils, degrees and meters (yards if you're in the Marines.) It should also be said that care should be taken to stop, look and listen often. The frequency at which this should be done is left to the discretion of the team but a good guideline to follow is stopping often enough to assess any unnatural sights and sounds but not so often that a timeline is broken and the mission becomes compromised. Taking the most direct route is also in most situations is typically discouraged. Creeping in a field environment can require travel over rough or uneven terrain or through dense brush and vegetation during movement to an FFP. If there is a road or defined route of travel anywhere along your route, chances are you won't be taking it. The most you will do is cross it which will only happen if your safe and timely arrival to your AO warrants it. Depending on the time and light of day, shadows or shaded areas can be used to increase the commission of undetected movement. Starting with the fastest method of travel, five movement techniques will be examined.
The most field expedient method of movement is the sniper walk. This method is typically used in order to cover the optimum amount of ground in the shortest span of time. While the sniper walk is the fastest means of movement, it is by no means fast. Keeping in mind the calculated and deliberate nature of every movement that should be made in the field, this movement technique is usually reserved for use in moderately high and dense vegetation and brush and some of that rough or uneven terrain I referred to earlier. If a team were to have to cross an open field, this would be the last movement technique to use as the sniper walk is the highest profile method of movement. When it has been determined by both members of the team that the sniper walk can be used, both team members should be on their feet standing with a moderate hunch in the back and slight bend at the waist. The shooter should keep their weapon close to the body and carried with the muzzle pointed towards the ground. Each step is taken one at a time, more so than the standard stride. Each step should be taken with the toes touching ground first and rolling the foot back to the heel until the entire foot is on the ground, distributing body weight slowly and steadily throughout each lowering of the foot. This is to minimize the possible snapping of twigs laying on the ground or the upturning of any leaves or rocks. The goal is to leave a minimal signature if any indicating your route. This can be difficult but it is not unattainable and the sniper walk will be your best bet as there is a minimum of dragging equipment or body parts leaving a minimal signature of travel, if any. There is no set pace or speed for the sniper walk. Let the environment be your guide - What kind of concealment is around you? How far do you need to go and how fast do you need to get there? Can the walk be used to get you closer you your AO at no sacrifice you your concealment? If the sniper walk isn't prudent at a given time but you must cover as much ground as you can in a short amount of time, then the hand-knee crawl might be a better option for you.
The hand-knee crawl is the second highest profile and second fastest means of movement available to the shooting team. It is used best when there is cover or concealment that is waist height or higher available such as large rocks, fallen trees or natural concealers such as shallow depressions. During the hand-knee crawl, there are three points of contact on the ground. the rifle is carried in the strong/firing arm while the weak/non-firing arm and both knees are used for mobility. The closest likeness to the hand knee crawl is someone who lost a contact lens and is on the ground looking for it. Great care must still be taken to ensure that nothing is dragged on the ground such as equipment or body parts of either team member to minimize or prevent any signature being left behind to be detected, possibly leading to your own detection.
The next movement technique is commonly taught to all soldiers upon initial training and is called the high crawl. Typically the profile of an individual performing the high crawl is roughly twelve to fourteen inches from the ground. Keep this in consideration when making the decision to move in this manner. This technique is significantly slower than the hand-knee crawl and is typically used for shorter distances, usually no more than 100 meters. Weapons are slung across the bends of the elbows on top of the forearms and movement is made with the pads of both elbows and the entire legs. Both feet are kept as flat on the ground as possible with the toes pointed outward. As one leg is pulled up until the knee is about at about waist level, the opposing elbow is brought forward. This movement is less fluid than the hand-knee crawl and the sniper walk and affords the user more frequent opportunities to stop, look and listen. It also leaves the soldier half way home to being in the prone firing position, more so than any other movement technique. The high crawl also affords the team the ability to look in the direction they are traveling. If the high crawl provides too high of a profile and time is not of the essence, the low crawl may be suitable for use.
The low crawl is significantly slower than the first three techniques I mentioned, but provides the lowest available profile during movement. This movement technique is also taught to all military personnel during initial training. The differences between the low crawl and high crawl is that the head is completely on the ground turned to one side and the weapon is carried by the forearm end of the sling with the weapon rested over the top of the weak arm running along the forearm. All limbs remain flat on the ground. Movement is conducted in the same fashion as the high crawl. This technique is best in an environment with little cover or concealment for a calculated distance - the shorter, the better as the low crawl is not a technique you want to be using for an extended period of time. The low crawl does not afford you to monitor your direction of travel so an azimuth should be determined before movement is conducted. If faced with the unavoidable prospect of moving through an exposed area, the four techniques I have already mentioned will not be suitable - there is one technique left that can be used.
The sniper low crawl is the slowest available method of movement for a tactical shooting team to utilize. This movement is predominantly used in open, exposed vegetated areas. Traveling a significant distance using this technique can take hours. It is also the most physically strenuous and high-risk movement technique available. Any time a team utilizes the sniper low crawl, they are wearing ghillie suits during movement. Like the low crawl, all body parts maintain the lowest possible profile to the ground. The head can either be turned to one side or face down toward the ground (which can wear on the neck muscles leaving you stiff or sore). The rifle is held by the forearm end of the sling in the non-firing hand, preferably with the bolt lever facing up. Both arms are outstretched over the head "in front" of you with palms facing down and both legs are kept straight with feet flat on the ground with toes pointed outward. Fingertips and toes are used for forward motion so as not to make any major movements. The knees can bend slightly while moving, but it is highly discouraged. Like the low crawl, distance and destination should be predetermined before utilizing this technique. It is also important that prior to the use of the sniper low crawl that vegetation from the area the team is operating in be used to enhance the ghillie suit's camouflaging capabilities and reduce the risk of being detected. If the ghillie suit is properly camouflaged and the sniper low crawl is performed correctly, the risk of detection is minimal even in a wide open area such as a clearing or a field. Naturally, using this technique during night time decreases the risk of being detected exponentially. As with the high and low crawl, it is the most difficult to conceal any signature of movement due to the amount of contact with the ground and the dragging motion which makes this technique particularly effective in areas with nothing more than grass long enough to fall over. Grass that is too short will remain compressed by your bodyweight leaving a trail behind you for a significant amount of time and grass that is long but still able to remain vertical will leave a clearly marked path indicating where you have been clear up to your heels so employment of the sniper low crawl should be very selective.
These are the five primary stalking and movement techniques available in a tactical environment. People in this kind of environment will certainly not be confined to these five techniques for movement. There will likely be plenty of times if you're a member of a team that you and your team member will be humping through the woods like a couple of nature hikers because the situation gives license to do so. By all means, take that liberty where it presents itself as any time not having to be spent getting to an AO can be used to set up a hide or compare a few potential hides. Time saved during movement to an FFP also affords the team the ability to communicate to the main element any changes in intelligence the team initially received prior to deployment such as troop strength, number of targets, etc. Discernment is the key to knowing which technique to use to get from one point to the next at any given time.
The best way to learn each of these movement techniques is obviously to practice them. When and if possible, practice with as much equipment you can get your hands on to avoid setting unrealistic expectations in regards to ease of movement, speed, etc. Wear a ruck, ghillie up, build a weaponeer (a simulated rifle) to train with and head on out. Don't cheat yourself and crawl around a soccer field at a high school, you'll be denying yourself the challenge of more mission-realistic terrain and will likely be escorted off the property by campus security anyway. Find a local wooded park or a game refuge, insert yourself deep enough so as not to be reported by hikers or harassed by wildlife marshals and practice there. Don't wait for rain to stop. Bundle up and head on out in the rain. This is the time to learn to make any modifications to your ghillie or adjustments with your equipment to minimize discomfort, even though most efforts I have found to be completely futile. With practice, you will learn many more things than just how to move effectively. If you're considering making 'military sniper' an official part of your resume, training using these techniques will let you know if this is something you really want to go through with and if it is, it will give you an advantage when it comes time to start school. Good luck and don't do anything stupid.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Another Bad Week
It's been a while since I last wrote. The last couple of columns I have started just didn't end up being anything I wanted on here, so away they went. Thanks to somebody (I may not know who they are, but they do), I will likely be narrowing my scope of articles to fitness, long distance precision shooting and whatever random subject I can think of enough to say anything about. So here goes with the fitness.
I was WAY too impressed with myself this past weekend in regards to my progress, although admittedly, I have felt too wide to fit in the seat of my car. I have a feeling that with the addition of the Phosphagen HP and the Isopure, I am going to see some fairly intense results, at least for a while. I was going on nothing more than that other protein, the Syntrax Nectar and was making OK gains, but something tells me that the results will come much more quickly now. I got in and worked arms this past Monday and noticed that my elbows are starting to give me a little bit of trouble when I go to start the preacher curls. Granted the machine I am using is telling me that I'm working with 170-175 pounds, but something tells me that I wouldn't be moving anything like that on a regular curling bar. I'm also having to go from sitting on the seat provided on the contraption to supporting myself with a standing/leaning stance while working on that machine. I've long since fallen into the mind of not believing the numbers a machine tells you that you're working with. Getting back to the relevant, I have been having trouble with pain in my elbows to the point where after working arms and chest over the span of 2 days, I almost feel like the pain is too much to continue through the week. I manage to push through, though. I have also noticed that since cutting 20-30 minutes off of my cardio, at the end of 10-15 minutes, I don't feel like I could handle much more than that. I haven't ramped up the intensity so I'm a little shocked at this happening so quickly, more so than had I not run for a week or two. Strange.
I haven't managed to get in the gym Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. Here it is Friday and I'm debating... I still have to keep up the creatine intake twice a day unless I want to go back to 4 times a day for 5 days so that won't change. What I'm seeing is the fat deposits sticking around my waist and lower stomach which has been pissing me off. If I get to a point of looking great (to my standards) everywhere else on my body, then I will likely go to a specialist and have the fat 'zapped' or broken up with lasers. It's pointless to me to do all this work to have some stubborn problem areas that won't go anywhere regardless of diet or exercise take away from my overall shape. I did measure my biceps the other day........ 15 inches........ugh. I guess I should be a little prouder of that as my neck is only another 2 inches in diameter. I guess I should quit bitching and be happy with the progress made thus far.
I was WAY too impressed with myself this past weekend in regards to my progress, although admittedly, I have felt too wide to fit in the seat of my car. I have a feeling that with the addition of the Phosphagen HP and the Isopure, I am going to see some fairly intense results, at least for a while. I was going on nothing more than that other protein, the Syntrax Nectar and was making OK gains, but something tells me that the results will come much more quickly now. I got in and worked arms this past Monday and noticed that my elbows are starting to give me a little bit of trouble when I go to start the preacher curls. Granted the machine I am using is telling me that I'm working with 170-175 pounds, but something tells me that I wouldn't be moving anything like that on a regular curling bar. I'm also having to go from sitting on the seat provided on the contraption to supporting myself with a standing/leaning stance while working on that machine. I've long since fallen into the mind of not believing the numbers a machine tells you that you're working with. Getting back to the relevant, I have been having trouble with pain in my elbows to the point where after working arms and chest over the span of 2 days, I almost feel like the pain is too much to continue through the week. I manage to push through, though. I have also noticed that since cutting 20-30 minutes off of my cardio, at the end of 10-15 minutes, I don't feel like I could handle much more than that. I haven't ramped up the intensity so I'm a little shocked at this happening so quickly, more so than had I not run for a week or two. Strange.
I haven't managed to get in the gym Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. Here it is Friday and I'm debating... I still have to keep up the creatine intake twice a day unless I want to go back to 4 times a day for 5 days so that won't change. What I'm seeing is the fat deposits sticking around my waist and lower stomach which has been pissing me off. If I get to a point of looking great (to my standards) everywhere else on my body, then I will likely go to a specialist and have the fat 'zapped' or broken up with lasers. It's pointless to me to do all this work to have some stubborn problem areas that won't go anywhere regardless of diet or exercise take away from my overall shape. I did measure my biceps the other day........ 15 inches........ugh. I guess I should be a little prouder of that as my neck is only another 2 inches in diameter. I guess I should quit bitching and be happy with the progress made thus far.
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